


Nurse’s Nightmare

by Babybucky1943



Series: Bucky is a Brat [7]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Bucky Hurt, Bucky is a brat, Bucky’s blankie, Diapers, Hospitalization, M/M, Restraints, caregiver steve, cg/lb, diaper changes, medical procedures mentioned, vomiting mentioned at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 16:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babybucky1943/pseuds/Babybucky1943
Summary: Bucky might have narrowly escaped almost killing himself but, hey, the serum still works, therefore, why should he have to be in the hospital?





	Nurse’s Nightmare

Bucky Barnes was hiding behind the shower curtain in their bathroom.

He knew eventually Steve would find him. He just hoped it was long enough for Steve to forget that Bucky had pulled a colossally stupid stunt. He didn’t want to see a doctor!

He held a hand to his throbbing head. He was desperately waiting for the healing qualities of his serum to kick in. It should if he could just hang on another couple hours.

“Bucky!” Steve yelled, letting the apartment door slam open.

Bucky whimpered a little. It sounded like a gunshot and made the pain in his headglow white hot.

He felt his stomach roll and knew he was going to throw up. He stepped out of the tub and clumsily fell in front of the toilet just as his stomach expelled every bit of food that might be in there.

He wished his head would just explode and ease the pain.

Steve came into the bathroom. “There you are! Bucky-!”

Bucky held up a hand, retching as his stomach clenched again. Sweat rolled down his face and his vision felt foggy.

“Hurts,” he gasped, putting his flesh hand to his head.

Darkness gently pulled him in, making the pain ease and letting him rest. He let himself go into it.

Steve panicked as Bucky crumpled to the floor. He frantically dialled 911 and then waited the five minute eon until the EMTs put Bucky on the stretcher and took him away.

***

Bucky woke up a week later, without the headache and saw Steve sitting beside his hospital bed looking very concerned.

“Hey,” he croaked. His throat felt like the Sahara.

Steve’s eyes filled with happy tears. “Buck!! You’re awake! He’s awake!” He called running out the door.

Two nurses came in and started checking his vitals.

Bucky wanted to push them away but his metal arm was clamped to one side of the bed and his other arm was tied down with an IV line in it.

He looked at Steve. “I wanna go home!”

“Not yet,” Steve said softly. “You gotta get better first.”

Bucky pouted. “I AM better!”

Steve smiled and kissed his forehead. “I’m sure you feel a lot better. You need to stay a few more days. You gave me a scare you twit! And scared the hell outta Thor too! Don’t EVER pull that stunt again!”

Bucky closed his eyes a moment so he couldn’tsee Steve’s face etched with concern and fear. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I know,” Steve said. “Now rest.”

Bucky weakly kicked his heels and shook his head. His throat hurt too much to yell so instead he begged raspily for water. 

The nurse brought him a small cup of ice chips which Steve fed him one at a time.

“Why do I have to stay?” He asked once his voice was working better.

“Bucky, you did some serious damage to that thick skull of yours!When you hit that tree you got a serious concussion and it knocked you out cold for about half an hour later. Your brain was bleeding. They had to put you under and you slipped into a coma.They fixed it now and it’s healing but you have to be good and stay for a few days.”

Bucky sighed deeply.“Why can’t I stay in the medicalbay at the compound?”

Steve quirked an eyebrow.

Bucky rolled his eyes. Geez. You’d think people would let things go! So he’d unravelled a few .... hundred....yards of sterile gauze last time he was in there and made a dummy mummy. Scared the nurse too. He’d also terrorized the other patients... and ran away.....He didn’t like doctors. He giggled at the memory.

“That’s why.” Steve said wryly, knowing he remembered. “Besides, Tony’s not here. He’s on a mission.”

Bucky slumped down. He hated being in the hospital.

He and Thor had been having a friendly tussle. Thor had tried to take off.  He remembered grabbing Thor’s foot as he had lifted off, still trying to get the better of the demi god. 

Unfortunately, Bucky lost his grip and smashed headlong into a tree.

He’d had the horrible irrational fear that Steve would be mad and went to their apartment as quickly as he could.

Apparently he’d ended up here after that.

“But Steve....I feel fine now...” he pleaded.

Steve gave him a firm look. “That’s enough. You’re going to stay here until the doctor says you can go.”

Bucky whined. “Can I have my blankie then?”

Steve smiled. “I already brought it.” He dug it out of the bag at his feet and draped the small plush blanket over Bucky’schest and against his cheek.

Bucky eagerly nuzzled it then pulled at his right hand. “I want my hands!”

Steve sighed. “They couldn’t chance you getting out of hand. I’ll go ask.” He  talked to the nurse and she untied both of his hands.

Bucky crushed his blanket to his face, making satisfied little sounds as he rubbed it against his cheek.

Steve smiled at his boyfriend. Bucky could be the most annoying asshole but he could also be adorably cute.

“Steve, can you change me, please?” He asked. He felt unpleasantly wet.

Steve pulled his gown up and checked his diaper. It was soaked. They had put a short catheter in while Bucky slept to get urine tests. Steve hoped Bucky wouldn’t be able to tell.

Steve grabbed a clean diaper and carefully changed Bucky, trying not to disturb the IV line or the heart monitor that Bucky was hooked up to. He tried not to touch the catheter because then Bucky would really have a cow.

“Better?” He asked.

Bucky wiggled a little. “Do I have a damn catheter in?” He felt the tube on his balls. 

Steve was busy getting something out of the bag and Bucky thought he hadn’t heard him. 

He started to sit up but Steve pushed him back and just raised the head of the bed.

Bucky suddenly felt incredibly dizzy and grabbed at the bed frantically.

Steve quickly lowered it some again. “I guess you’re not all better!”

Bucky growled something obscene and squirmed. “I want my pajamas!” The gown he was wearing was not comfortable at all.

Steve patted his leg. “I’ll go talk to the nurse again.”  Bucky was a terrible patient. 

They were back in a minute. “We’ll get you comfortable, James,” the nurse smiled. 

With smooth, efficient experience, she rolled him onto his side and untied the uncomfortable gown, removing it carefully. 

Steve handed her one of Bucky’s favourite soft pajama shirts.It had short sleeves.

She got it over his head then unhooked the IV tube from the bag for a moment and carefully got his arm through before hooking it back in.

Steve got his left arm in and together they pulled it down smoothly and lay him back down.

Bucky relaxed when he felt the soft fabric against his sore back. Much better.

Once the nurse was gone he had to bring up what was bugging him. “So, uh, I guess this is pretty good punishment for being stupid?” He asked. It had been foremost on his mind since he’d regained consciousness.

Steve was a patient caregiver. But even he had his limits when it came to pure stupidity.

Steve smiled a little. “We’ll talk about that when you’re all better.”

Bucky sighed again. Damn. He was gonna have to kiss some serious ass.

Steve got up. “It’s almost time for your evening meds and bedtime. I need to go home and shower.”

Bucky looked at him anxiously. “You’re leaving?”

“The nurses will take care of you, honey.” He lay a soft kiss on Bucky’s dry lips. “I’ll bring some more of your things tomorrow morning. I’ve been sleeping in this chair for three nights. I need to go home for a decent sleep.”

Bucky nodded. He had to be a good boy for Steve. “See you tomorrow.”

Steve gave him another kiss and then left.

Bucky pulled his blankie over his face for a few minutes, breathing in the scent of their detergent. Steve must have washed it.

A nurse came in and started monkeying with his IV.

“Can you take it out?” He asked.

“Not yet,” she said. “We need to get you eating and drinking first. Can I get you something to drink? Juice?”

“Yes please.”

She hooked a new bag of IV fluid on the pole and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a small plastic cup of apple juice.

He sipped it slowly, watching her take his blood pressure and heart rate. She took a blood sample from his right arm and put a small bandaid on it.

She pulled the covers down and checked his diaper. “Did Steve change you?”

He nodded.

She wrote it on her chart, then got a small plastic catheter bag.

He frowned. “What are you doing?”

“I need a urine sample,” she said pulling the tapes open.

“No!” Bucky protested.

“Relax,” she ordered. “The catheter is already in.”

He scowled darkly. Steve had probably known and hadn’t said anything! Probably because he’d known Bucky would be upset.

He hated the feeling of the catheter being moved. It felt odd. It brought back bad hydra memories too. 

She did what she had to do and it didn’t take long.

The diaper was snugly taped in place again and she tucked him in. “I’ll give you something to help you rest.” She injected some medication into his IV line. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”

Bucky lay there feeling grumpy. He’d like to be in his own bed. At least he had blankie. He rubbed the blanket on his cheek again, feeling the familiar calm that it gave him. The medication made him doze off.

The nurse was back at eleven to retake all his vitals and change him after another urine sample was taken. “I’m going to up your fluid. You’re urine is pretty dark.”

He huffed out a breath. Yay.

When she had gone, he was wide awake. He carefully raised the head of the bed a little at a time. The dizziness wasn’t as severe and completely disappeared after a few minutes.

He looked around. It was quiet and he was bored. Grasping his IV pole he carefully slid out of bed, making sure his legs would hold him.

He realized he was just in a T-shirt and a diaper. With a shrug he started off towards the hallway and looked around for nurses. There was no one in the immediate vicinity so he set off down the hallway and decided to see what he could wrangle up to entertain himself.

Bucky peered into the TV room for a moment but that was boring. He kept going until he came to the shower room.

His hair needed a wash desperately. A shower would be nice! He eyed the IV pole. Maybe he could just kind of stick his head in. He wouldn’t chance a full shower.

He turned the water on. His left hand couldn’t really regulate temperature so he ended up getting a lot of water on the floor and down his shirt but he did manage to wash his hair.

When he turned off the water ten minutes later, he heard an alarm come over the speaker system that a patient had gone missing.

He shook his head. They needed to keep a better eye on their patients!

Running feet sounded up and down the hallway and then he heard his name being called frantically.

Aw dammit!! He was the missing patient!.... He considered hiding but then they’d call Steve. He slowly emerged from the shower room. “I’m right here.”

The nurse who saw him first sent up the call that he was found.

He was scolded soundly for getting out of bed and for leaving his room without letting them know.

“Why are you all wet?” She demanded.

”I needed to wash my hair.” He gave her a mutinous look. 

She shook her head. He was taken back to his room and tied to the bed again.

One of the other nurses combed his wet hair. “You gave us a scare! There’s still a chance you might faint or black out again.”

“Oh.” He sat sullenly on his bed after she’d made him a ponytail. “I needed to wash my hair.” He explained again.

“Next time just ask. That way we know where you are.” She smiled. “It’s never good when you have a whole floor of nurses in a panic over a patient.”

Bucky sat obediently for about half an hour then started picking at the tie with his free hand. He was bored stiff!!

It took awhile but he managed to undo the restraint and free himself. Cautiously, he slid off the bed and ever so slowly slid to the door, peering around the edge.

The hallway was empty. With a grin he lit out down the hall again.He rounded the corner at the end and collided with his nurse.

She looked at him unhappily. “What are you doing out of bed again??”

He shrugged.

She put him back in bed, this time putting all the restraints on him, apologizing and scolding at the same time.

Bucky whined at first but was ignored. Then he threw a temper tantrum and was ignored. His nurse finally  came and gave him another dose of sleeping meds.

When Bucky woke up Steve was sitting beside the bed, chin in his hands, looking pensive.

The restraints were off.

“Good morning,” Steve said.

“Morning,” Bucky yawned.

“I talked to your nurse.” Steve said meaningfully.

Bucky bit his lip. Oops! “I was trying to be good! But she woke me up and I was bored!”

Steve shook his head. “I guess I need to babysit you. I can’t have you being a brat.”

Bucky sat up. “When can I go home?”

“The Doctor will come soon.” Steve got a plastic bag out with Bucky’s tablet, headphones, one of his favourite books and his slippers.

Breakfast was brought by. Steve helped Bucky eat the bland oatmeal and told him to drink his apple juice.

The doctor showed up as Bucky was finishing his juice.

He took a long time examining Bucky’s head and the surgery site that was healed over pretty well. He asked about a hundred questions and took a good long look into Bucky’s eyes.

“You’re a lucky man. The serum definitely helped you heal. I’d like you to stay one more day to make sure you’re eating and drinking alright and that all systems are working.”

Bucky slumped back. “Okay.”

Steve patted his hand. “One more day isn’t that bad.”

Bucky bared his teeth at him and hissed.

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “None of that!”He popped Bucky’s cheek firmly with his finger.

Bucky turned away and pulled his blankie over his face. “Ow!!”

The nurse came in. “Let’s get you changed and then you can go for a walk with Steve.”

He didn’t respond.

“He’s sulking,” Steve told her.

She chuckled. “Poor baby.”

Bucky yanked the blanket off making all his hair fly in different directions. “Am not!”

Steve and the nurse were both laughing at him.

She got a fresh diaper out. “Doctor said we could pull the catheter out. Ready?”

Steve took his hand and Bucky took a deep breath.

Once it was out, he felt better.

Steve diapered him and helped him put pajama pants and his slippers on. “Ok Bucky boy. Let’s go for a walk.”

Bucky grabbed his IV pole and took Steve’s hand. “Where we goin’?”

“Your nurse told me you wanted to be out and about last night. Let’s go to the cafeteria. You want some chocolate milk?”

Bucky nodded and followed Steve down to the cafeteria.

He slurped his chocolate milk enthusiastically.

“Slow down, babe. You’ll get sick!” Steve cautioned.

Bucky stuck his tongue out at Steve.

Steve chuckled.

With the chocolate milk gone they went back to Bucky’s room. Steve set up a game of Checkers.

Bucky made a few moves then pushed the game over. “I don’t wanna play checkers!”

“You’re whiney, Bucky boo. Need a nap?” Steve ruffled his hair. He was always tuned to Bucky’s moods and he could sense that Bucky was anything but settled right now.

“No!” He threw blankie on the floor in a fit of temper. “Wanna go home!” He scrubbed his eyes with his fists.

Steve picked up the blanket and climbed onto the bed. “Stop it. Come here, baby. Let’s snuggle.”

Bucky curled into Steve’s solid body. “I don’t like being here.”

“I know that,” Steve said, stroking his hair.

They cuddled until Bucky settled down. Lunch came and Bucky ate at Steve’s insistence. He didn’t like hospital food either! 

The nurse who came and did his bloodwork at the two o clock round got growled at. Steve gave him a look. “Stop.”

He accidentally, on purpose, punched Steve when they pulled out his IV. It hurt like hell and Steve was holding him down. He tore off the bandaid, throwing it on the floor.

“Stop!” Steve said firmly. “I know you’re tired and frustrated.” He landed a firm smack on Bucky’s padded ass. “You need to have a nap.”

“I’m not having a nap!” Bucky yelled. “I hate naps! And hospitals! And doctors! I’m leaving!!” He went to get up but Steve pushed him down roughly.

“No! You are staying!” Steve put the restraints around his wrists and then around his ankles.

Bucky lay there, spread eagle, and screamed Russian expletives at Steve.

Steve left the room, closing the door.

Bucky gave up screaming and burst into tears. He was so tired. Steve was punishing him with restraints and he didn’t want to stay. He wanted his own bed and his own room. Now Steve was leaving him restrained in this room all alone. It wasn’t fair! Eventually his sobs quieted. 

He keened softly now, tears running into his hair, his eyes closing despite his best efforts to stay awake. He hiccuped and took a shaky breath then wailed again, calling for Steve. He couldn’t keep his eyes open but he didn’t want to sleep. He was angry!

Steve came back in and his heart hurt. He knew Bucky was upset with being here but he couldn’t let him get away with being a brat. He could see Bucky was almost asleep. “Steve’s right here, baby.”

Bucky pried his eyes open a little. “Blankie,” He said through a hiccup.

Steve put the blanket by his face and saw him relax and drift off. He sat in the chair again. It was going to be a long evening and night. They’d asked him to stay because Bucky needed to be watched.

A nurse came in to do his vitals and stopped. “I’ll come back. I won’t disturb him.”

“Thanks,” Steve said wryly. “He finally fell asleep.”

Bucky woke three hours later, a bit more rested and in better spirits. They went for another walk. Bucky talked Steve into getting him a plush frog from the gift shop.

They played catch with the frog for awhile and then Bucky had his dinner. He didn’t want the limp vegetables but Steve cajoled him into eating them. 

After dinner, Steve told him to play on his tablet but he didn’t want to. Instead he sent Steve’s phone thirty one messages with one letter each spelling out “I hate fuckin hospitals. Wanna go home.”

Steve rolled his eyes after the tenth one and stopped reading them.

Bucky could see however that it annoyed him every time it would buzz.He was enjoying irking Steve.

At eight, the nurse took his bloodwork for the evening, and Steve changed him.

Bucky was still wide awake.

Steve lay down behind him and pulled him close. “It’s bedtime.”

“Not tired,” Bucky complained.

“Who takes care of you, Bucky boo?” Steve asked softly.

Bucky hesitated amoment.“You do.” Being in the hospital didn’t change the fact that Steve was his caregiver.

“Yeah. That’s right. I say it’s bedtime.” Steve’s voice had an edge to it. 

“But-“ Bucky was hoping Steve would let him get away with just a bit more.

“Bucky,” Steve’s voice held a note of warning.

Apparently not. 

The invalid fell silent, a pout on his full lips. He hugged his frog and his blanket and cuddled into the safe warmth of his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I get to go home tomorrow.” He stated, still wanting to get the last word in.

“Yes,” Steve answered. “Then we’ll talk about the crazy stunt you pulled with Thor. Now go to sleep!” 

Bucky lay very still. Serious self induced harm even if it WAS unintended, was no excuse to be a brat in Steve’s books. 

Apparently, Steve had been thinking about suitable punishments for his boy. Bucky knew firsthand how creative Steve could be.

Somehow, the threat of punishment never stopped Bucky from pulling stupid shit. That was why he had a caregiver. He really couldn’t be trusted to take care of himself. He thought maybe he never really had. He was glad Steve was his. And he was Steve’s.


End file.
